Daily Archives: July 31, 2019
We’re Captivated By The Honda E Touchscreen Dashboard
Anyone who can work a smartphone can work the touchscreen dashboard of the new Honda E, which, by the way, has already captivated experts. From the exterior to the interior, the Honda E is living up to the hype. The dashboard that has pillar-to-pillar screens is the main event in the cabin.
Honda recently released a video about how a driver can work and interact with its new dashboard. The panel is composed of five high-definition color displays while two six-inch screens on the edges show the feed from the exterior camera mirrors.
The driver will enjoy the 8.8-inch TFT screen in front. This shows the digital instrument cluster. In the middle of that long panel of the screen are two 12.3-inch LCD screens where the infotainment system is located.
These screens can be customized. All the driver has to do is swipe the tiles to move them from the options menu on the left to the column that shows the favorite apps. A button located above the favorites menu cascades the open tiles so the driver can get back to the previous screen.
The input portion is on the left screen and the display portion is on the right. Both the driver and the passenger can work the screens separately. The driver can use the navigation buttons on the left while the passenger can tinker with the DJ on the other side. Depending on what phone is plugged in, both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can be mirrored on the screens. When the car stops, the dashboard can play videos streamed from the phone via the Honda E’s wi-fi hotspot.
The Honda Personal Assistant is integrated with the dashboard. All you need to say is “Ok Honda” to call the assistant. It understands natural speech, much like Siri and Hey Mercedes, when changing the settings in the cabin or online services. A smartphone app in your phone is used as a digital key to lock and unlock the car, as well as to precondition it.
5 Options You Can Choose For The 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette
The 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette isn’t available for purchase yet, but Chevy released an online configurator that we can have all fun with. There are a lot more options than ever before for the mid-engined sports car.
Here are eight of the options you just need to choose for the best-looking and best-performing 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette:
1. Elkhart Lake Blue Metallic
There are 12 colors you can choose from: black, white, silver, gray, red, bronze, orange, and yellow. There are two different shades of blue—the Rapid Blue and the Elkhart Lake Blue Metallic. The latter is the more exotic hue of blue available. The Rapid is a lighter shade.
2. Visible Carbon Fiber
If you’ll have the removable top, you can customize it with a carbon-fiber lid with a transparent finish instead of the standard body color. The transparent lid lets you see the carbon weave. This is a cool option because it will shed some weight off.
3. Z51 Performance Package
This package adds the performance exhaust that brings five more horsepower and five pound-feet of torque. After the package is applied, the total output would be 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. The performance package is also bundled with higher performance suspension, larger brakes, electronic limited-slip differential, and an electronic limited-slip differential.
4. Spectra Gray Machined Trident Spoke
There are six wheels options to choose from, but the rim design that stands out is the Trident Spoke. It has a five-spoke design with Y-shaped elements. The design is available in three finishes: black and silver, Spectra Gray Machined finish and dark gray with silver. The Spectra Gray, with its two-tone look, is the coolest option.
5. Carbon Fiber Exterior Accents
The carbon fiber option is available not only on the removal top, but also on the mirror caps, the front bumper side vents, the front splitter, and the side skirts.
Kia Is Currently Developing A Pickup Truck
Kia ’s chief operating officer Damien Meredith confirmed that Kia will have its own pickup truck, following the footsteps of the Hyundai Santa Cruz concept pickup. The development of the Kia pickup truck is now underway with Meredith saying it will probably debut between 2022 and 2023. This is the same schedule that the Hyundai set for the Santa Cruz.
According to an interview on CarsGuide, the South Korean automaker is planning for a dual-cab, single-cab for the pickup truck. That also includes a dual cab with diesel and petrol options. In Australia, Kia’s executives are confident that this utility vehicle will do well in their market. In a country with a high percentage of sales in the segment, Meredith believed Kia can take a huge chunk of the market there; about 8 to 10 percent market share.
He didn’t reveal anything more about the new Kia pickup but if it will be available to the US market, we doubt very much it will take all its variants with it. Most probably, Kia will only offer the truck with gas engines. The powertrains will be shared with the Santa Cruz, but to distinguish itself from its South Korean cousin, Kia will use a different engine, transmission, and chassis calibration.
The renowned Kia-Hyundai new family of Smartstream will also be likely used in the pickup trucks from both companies.
Both pickup trucks will be compact in size. Kia’s, however, might belong to the smaller segment because Santa Cruz will be sharing its underpinnings with the next-generation Tucson, which is a compact crossover. The Santa Cruz and the upcoming Kia pickup truck will compete in the midsize trucks market, though some may prefer the larger body of the Santa Cruz.
As for the Kia pickup truck, try to imagine it being like the Subaru Baja and the first-generation Ford Ranger. It’ll be nothing like the Honda Ridgeline and Chevrolet Colorado.
